Live It Well And This Life Can Be Grand
by MidnightMoon10
Summary: Told from Mione's POV. Harry comes to stay at her house. Friendship deepens and something more begins. Adventures come at Hogwarts later on.
1. Default Chapter

**I do not own Harry Potter or any characters, events, or places associated with him as they belong to JK Rowling. I do not mean any offense in any of this writing, and of course it is a total work of fiction.**

**Author Note:** This is my first HP fic, and it's H/H. I would appreciate any feedback, good or bad, but please no flames. 

**_Prologue_**

The sky was a dazzling bright blue that seemed to stretch on for ages, never reaching an end. The occasional puffy white cloud lazily floated by as the sun shone down on the bright pink flowers along the sides of the two-story house. My house.  Sighing, I leaned out of my bedroom window a bit, letting the summer wind blow through my curly brown hair. From here the world seemed so peaceful, so simple. 'If only this feeling could last forever,' I thought as I gazed out over the suburban neighborhood I had grown up in for the past 16 years.  

The hooting of a tawny brown owl bearing a white envelope in its talons interrupted my peaceful trance.  The bird flew straight to me, landing on my outstretched arm. Stroking the owl, I took the letter from it and allowed the animal to hop onto the thin pole that made up part of my headboard on my bed.  Recognizing the Hogwarts symbol, I tore the envelope open, my eyes eager to find the contents. 

I know what you must be thinking, and no, this was not my official school letter that I receive every summer. Neither was it a letter announcing I had been named a prefect. No, this was a response to a request I made of Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of my school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I wrote to the headmaster a week ago, asking for permission that Harry Potter, one of my best friends, could come to stay with me for the last few weeks of the summer. 

As you are reading this, I assume you all know of Harry's history, of his parent's death, his marking by the dark lord Voldemort, and the many adventures, heroic deeds, and sorrows he has suffered through in the past few years. I feel no need to delve back into these at the moment; for me the thought of it all is too painful. To even imagine all of the things he has been through, that we've all been through...it's overwhelming. 

I am worried about Harry, to tell you the truth. Harry is a very intense person, and everything he feels, he feels it with 100% of his being. The love that he had for his godfather, Sirius Black, is unspeakable. Harry saw him as a friend, a mentor, even a surrogate father; for Harry, Sirius was someone he could finally count on to take care of him after all those years of neglect from the Dursley's. And for a while it seemed like Harry would get that wish. That is, until the fateful night at the Ministry of Magic when Sirius fell into the black veil of death while battling some Death Eaters.  After that, I think Harry's world began to fall apart.  I am worried about his state of mind as well as his physical well being. We have owled each other a few times, but he won't talk about what happened, and sticks to "safe" topics that let me know nothing about how he is feeling. I've been dying to see him all summer. 

Needless to say I was ecstatic to read Dumbledore's reply to my letter. 

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_I have carefully considered your request, and after reviewing the current situation, I have decided to allow Harry to spend the remaining weeks with you and your family. I will contact Harry to make sure this is his desire, and to give him the details. If you do not hear from me again, then you may go ahead and pick Harry up on the 28th of July. Shielding spells and alarms of course, already protects your house, so I stand sure that Harry will be safe there. I do hope you have a good summer, and I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts with the other students on the 1st of September._

_Peace, Love, and Chocolate Frogs_

_Professor Albus Dumbledore_

Shrieking with joy, I quickly grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled a short letter out to Harry, who I had received only a few letters from over the past few weeks. 

_Dear Harry,_

_I have wonderful news! Dumbledore has agreed to let you come and stay with us for the remainder of the summer! I know you probably would have liked to go back to the burrow, but with the Weasley's off in Rome for that Ministry of Magic convention for the next few weeks, I thought maybe you might like to come here. I understand if you would rather not, but rest assured that my house is well protected with charms and such, so you will be perfectly safe here. Oh I do hope you'll come Harry! There's a fair in August around here, a mall, cinema, and I am sure we can find lots of other things to keep us entertained.  And you could get a start on all that homework I'm sure you've not worked on yet. Dumbledore should be sending you a letter soon with the information detailed in it. _

_Love,_

_Hermione_

I regarded the letter for a moment, wondering if it sounded weird, but in the end I just shrugged my shoulders and sent the bird off with instructions to find the famous wizard that I'd come to care so much about. 

Sighing, I ran downstairs to inform my parents of the new developments, hoping that Harry would reply quickly.


	2. Chapter One: The Arrival

Disclaimer: I own nothing, no one. Harry and the others belong to JK Rowling. This is a work of fiction. 

**Chapter One: The Arrival**

I awoke at 9:00 on the morning of July 28th, excited at the idea of seeing Harry again after what seemed like so long. I quickly took a shower and got dressed in a denim skirt and a light pink top, wondering all the time how much longer it would be until my dad arrived with Harry.  It just so happened that my father had an important dental convention at which he was speaking last night at a hotel just outside of Little Whinging. With some begging, I got him to agree to stay the night and pick Harry up on his way back home today. I am a bit nervous about the thought of Harry and my dad having all that time alone in a vehicle together, but that is out shadowed by my excitement to see my friend.

Although I woke up so late (I stayed up until one in the morning reading the revised "Hogwarts: A History"), I arrived downstairs to find out from my mother that Harry and my father had just called. They said that they were just leaving Harry's house, and since it's a three-hour trip, we shouldn't expect them until around noon or so. I was a bit disappointed, but decided to pass my time by doing my favorite thing: reading. 

I grabbed one of my favorite muggle books, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and settled down in my window seat to immerse myself in the world of hobbits and elves. 

As usual, time slipped by quickly as I read.  Only by the loud **ding, ding, ding **of the great grandfather clock downstairs did I realize it was 12 o'clock.  I slipped my bookmarker into the book before stretching. I was in the process of slipping my feet into my pink flip-flops when the picture sitting on my dresser caught my eye.  It was one of the many photos taken by Colin Creevey last year, and featured Ron, Harry, and myself sitting on the couch in the Gryffindor common room. 

It was one of the few good days I remember from last year. I had just mentioned something about going to the library to study for a test, and the boys were both teasing me about my study habits. I had been in a very good mood that day, so I made a joke about their love for quidditch. This of course, resulted in a tickling war. Colin managed to grab our attention at some point during the midst of our fun, and we had good-naturedly posed for the picture. The photo showed me sitting in the middle of Ron and Harry, with their arms around my shoulders and all of us wearing big goofy grins with slightly disheveled hair and clothing.  Of course, being a wizarding photograph, the three of us were moving. My picture self was laughing at Ron, who was putting bunny ears behind my head while Harry continuously kept pulling Ron's hand down.

'Will we ever be that happy again?'

The thought struck me as I remembered just how grave the situation is that we are faced with. Voldemort is back in power, and we all know that things will only get worse from here on out, especially for Harry. What else would the Dark Lord want to do most besides vanquish the one person who bested him so many times? 

A familiar bubble of worry rose up in my chest. I believe with all my heart that Harry can beat Voldemort, make no mistake about that. But I still have to face the reality that while I am sure Harry will eventually defeat the dark lord, he could very well die in the process.  Tears began to well up in my eyes as I tried to imagine my life without my dearest friend. What would it be like to never ruffle that unruly hair again, never look into those intelligent green eyes? How would it feel to never have those strong arms hug me, or never get onto him for not doing his homework early? 

"Hermione! They're here!" 

My heartbeat quickened at my mother's announcement, and I threw all previous thoughts out of my head. I quickly ran down the stairs two at a time, arriving in the living room in time to hear Harry greeting my mother. 

"Hello Mrs. Granger."

"Hello Harry, and please call me Sarah. I think that Hermione should be on her way down in a minute or so..."

Instead of moving directly into the room, I stood near the doorway for a moment where no one could see me. I wanted to get a look at Harry before I greeted him. It seemed that he had shot up even more over the summer, now standing about 6'1 or so. He still maintained that lanky frame, but I noticed he seemed to be a bit more filled out in the muscle department. 'Since when do I care if Harry has muscles?' I wondered, creasing my brow a bit as I looked him over. The same unruly black hair adorned his head, but the glasses had been replaced by contacts it seemed.    A different look, but not all together bad, it would just take some getting used to.  He seemed to hunch over a bit, and his voice held a weary tone to it, but I think I only noticed these things because I know him so well. Finally I decided to make my entrance.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

"Harry!!!" I exclaimed, grinning as I walked toward him. He gave me a genuine smile and accepted my hug.

"Hermione! I think you're crushing a lung here!" He said. I realized I was hugging him very tightly and laughed, pulling away sheepishly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my parents smiling at each other before they both quietly exited the room to go upstairs.

"Sorry! Just a little excited I guess. You look great Harry, how was the trip over?"

His bright green eyes focused on me as he put his hands in his pockets. " It was great. I really like your dad, Hermione. And by the way, you look pretty great yourself. "

I blushed a bit for some reason unknown to me, and raised an eyebrow. "And just what did you two talk about during the three hour trip?" 

Harry raised an eyebrow himself and replied, "Oh, just this and that."

I gave him a fake glare before grinning again. "It feels like forever since we've seen each other...or Ron," I added quickly. Harry nodded his agreement. 

"Yes, you are definitely a sight for sore eyes," He told me. I felt another blush coming on, so I decided to divert the subject. 

"So, are you ready for me to show you to your room?" I asked him, grabbing one of the two bags he had sitting on the floor. 

"Sure, but first you are going to give me that bag. I can carry my own luggage," He replied, reaching for the brown backpack.  I just shook my head and walked to the stairs.

"Nope, and no arguing Potter. Follow me." 

I heard him sigh and felt him come up behind me with this other bag in hand.  I led him up the stairs and into the bedroom down the hall from my own. It was a medium-sized room with three windows and a small closet.  A double size bed was pushed up against the far wall, with a dark burgundy comforter and pillow set. Next to the bed was a small wooden nightstand with a lamp and pad of paper.  A four drawer wooden dresser sat on the opposite wall than the bed with a TV on top of it. In one corner by a window sat a wooden rocking chair, and in another corner was a smaller sized desk and chair. Above the desk on the wall hung a small bookshelf consisting of three short rows, and beside the desk sat a trash can. 

I dropped Harry's bag onto the bed and turned around to see him gazing at the room. 

"It's not much, but I hope it's okay. I requested a burgundy bed set in support of our House, of course."

At the sound of my voice he turned back to look at me. "It's wonderful Hermione. At least three times as big as my room at the Dursley's. And even if it were smaller, I would be happy. It's very kind of your parents to let me stay with you for the next few weeks, especially when they hardly know me," He said, laying his second bag down on the bed also. 

"My parents do know you in a way Harry. I've always written to them about you and Ron, so they feel as if they know you. Besides, they know you are my friend, which is enough for them. "

Harry smiled and I felt my heart skip a beat. 'What is wrong with me?' I thought, looking out the nearest window, away from the boy-who-lived. 

"Hermione?" I snapped my head back around. Harry was looking at me with a funny expression on his face. 

"Oh! Sorry. Anyway, I suppose you want to get unpacked now. Do you need any help?" I asked, offering my services. He shook his head, unzipping one of the bags.

"No, but thanks. Actually, I was wondering if it was alright if I had a shower? The Dursley's had me outside weeding the garden at five this morning, and wouldn't let me shower before I left. Something about me smarting off to Aunt Petunia or some rubbish."

Mentally cursing his relatives I nodded, "Of course. The bathroom is directly across the hall. My room is three doors down from here, so you can just come on in when you get done, if you want to." 

"Brilliant," He said, giving me a small smile. I went to exit the room, but his voice stopped me. "Hermione?" 

I turned around to look at him. "Yeah?" 

"Thanks." 

I flashed him a bright smile before replying.  "You're most welcome. And Harry?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I still want to know what you two talked about on the way here."

He smiled, "Oh, just this and that. "  His face grew more somber as he looked at the ground. "  'Mione...can we.... you know.... talk later, maybe?" 

I realized what he meant. He wanted to talk about what happened last year, about Sirius. 

"Of course Harry. You know I'm always here if you want to talk. Just come to my room after your shower, okay?" I asked him. He nodded and with that, I left his room.

Walking quickly back to my own room I couldn't help but wonder how he was maintaining that cool demeanor of his, and how long it would be before it broke.


	3. Chapter Two: The Talk

**Chapter Two**

As it turned out, Harry and I didn't really have a chance to talk again until later that evening.  While Harry was showering my mother came upstairs and told me that she had a surprise for us. She and dad bought tickets to a reproduction of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" which began at 3:00 pm and lasted to around 6:00. I couldn't say no; it was a nice gesture, especially considering that they took us out to eat beforehand. Harry had no problem with it, or so it seemed. 

We ended up going to a local restaurant, where we all chatted about school (of course we watched what we said. Muggles were all around us). The production itself was wonderful; the lead actor was very brilliant. It was one of the best Shakespeare productions I have seen. 

After the production we found out that audience members could go back stage and meet the cast. We decided we wanted to do this, so we made our way up the hallway to the backstage area. As we entered, we saw that the young man playing Hamlet was standing off to our right, wiping off some of his onstage makeup. The four of us walked over to him quickly.

"Hi. " I said smiling at him. He looked up from the mirror and nodded back at us, smiling. 

"Why hello!" He exclaimed, as he turned around and saw Harry. I raised my eyebrows at the look he was giving to my friend, but refrained from saying anything. Instead I just introduced myself. 

"I'm Hermione Granger, these are my parents, and this is a friend of mine..." I started to say, but the actor beat me to it.

  
"Harry Potter, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you." 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw my parents giving each other bewildered glances. We all knew Harry had never been to anything like this before, much less spent lots of time out and about in the muggle world. And of course, Harry is only well-known to the wizarding world.

"Ah, I see I've caught you off guard. Right sorry about that. The name's Jake Finnegan. I believe you know my cousin, Seamus Finnegan," He said. 

"Oh! Well that would explain how you might know about Harry. Are you a.... well.... like us?" I asked, trying to avoid using the word 'wizard' around so many muggles. Jake ran a hand through his dark brown hair and leaned up against his dressing table. 

"Alas, no. I am a mere muggle. Adopted and all that. My parents live in the London area.  My da and Seamus's da are brothers. I go to my Uncle Mick's every summer, and Seamus has shown me pictures of all of the Gryffindors and told me some of the stories. I'm just a bit surprised to see you here, of all places. "

Harry decided to finally speak up, " I'm staying with the Grangers until the start of the term, and Mr. and Mrs. Granger surprised us with these tickets today. You were brilliant by the way." 

Jake smiled again and stood up straight. "Thank you very much for the compliment. And tell my cousin not to get himself into too much trouble, will you? That whole family's mischievous!" 

We all laughed and chatted a bit more before finally we finally parted ways. The drive back to our neighborhood was a bit quiet, all of us lost in our own thoughts I suppose. We ended up getting back to my house at about 7:00 that night. My parents decided that they wanted to go visit my Aunt Caroline, who lives about twenty minutes away. She just re-modeled her living room and kitchen, and my mother was anxious to see it. Harry and I decided to stay behind and relax for the rest of the night. We did stand in the driveway and wave goodbye to them though, and when the car disappeared from sight I turned to look at my best friend.

"Would you like to go sit in the back yard on the swing?" I asked him, nudging his arm with my own.  He nodded, so I led him around the side of the house to the back gate. I quickly undid the lock and we walked in, letting the gate swing close behind us.  My backyard is fairly big. There is a small back patio with a dark green patio set, and a water fountain for the birds. Situated in the middle of the yard is a large white porch-type swing with vines growing over the posts. It makes a pretty picture and is one of my favorite places to read. 

Harry and I sat down beside each other, with comfortable space in between. 

"Hey Hermione," Harry said.

"Yeah?" I responded, looking at him. He pointed up to the sky. 

  
"Look up." 

I did so, and almost gasped at the sight. It was one of those beautiful cloudless nights with thousands of stars sparkling in the sky. It seemed like they were everywhere you looked, millions of little twinkling lights. We sat in companionable silence for a few minutes.

"Sometimes I wonder if my parents and Sirius are up there, watching down over me from the stars," Harry whispered, gazing up at the sky. I reached over and put my hand over his hand, which was resting on the swing in the space between us. 

"I know they are Harry. I know that all three of them are so, so proud of you and they love you so much," I whispered back. He turned to face me, and his eyes held a world of pain and guilt.

"Proud of me? How can they be proud of me Hermione? Because of me all three of them are dead. Mom and dad died to protect me. Sirius died fighting at the Ministry because I was there, because I was fighting. If it weren't for me, they would all still be alive. "

I frowned, getting up and placing myself kneeling in front of Harry. I put one hand on his knee and the other I left over his hand. 

"Harry, I want you to look into my eyes, okay? I want you to listen to what I am about to say to you. Please?" I asked him quietly. He nodded his head yes and his eyes met my own.

"It is true that part of the reason your parents died was to protect you. But Harry, they too were fighting Voldemort. They were two of his biggest opposers, and obviously were huge thorns in his side. Why else would he want to kill them? He didn't come to Godric's Hollow just for you Harry. He wanted to kill all three of you. Your parents protected you because they loved you Harry; they must have loved you more than anything in the world. They gave up their lives so you could live on, so you could fight and so you could defeat him. When you love someone, no matter in what sense, you are willing to do anything, even die, to keep them happy and safe.  And Sirius... Harry, you thought Sirius was in mortal danger. You did what you thought was right; you did what you needed to do.  You can't feel guilty for loving him so much that you wanted to save him from Voldemort. Okay, it was a trap. But Harry, you aren't the one who pushed him into that veil. The only thing you ever did to Sirius was love him. And I know that both he and your parents loved you with all their hearts. They wouldn't want you to live on, feeling guilty and wallowing in the 'what-ifs'.  They would want you to fight, to learn, to practice and succeed, to prepare yourself to the best of your ability. Harry, Voldemort can be defeated. We can all help you defeat him. For you. For your mom. For your dad. For Sirius. For all of the thousands of lives he has taken and destroyed. Before you do that though, you have to get rid of this guilt, because everyone, and I mean everyone, knows that it's not your fault. It's not your fault. " 

While I was talking Harry had shifted his eyes to stare at the ground. When I was finished I squeezed his hand, and he looked up at me with tear-filled eyes. Slowly he sank down to his knees on the ground in front of me. I put my arms on his shoulders and slowly pulled him down in a hug. He moved his arms around my waist and his body began to shake slightly as silent sobs racked him.  

"It's okay.... just let it out...let it out...." I whispered, holding him tightly as he buried his face in my hair. He began to gasp for air, his cries becoming more audible as tears streamed down his face. I rocked him back and forth slightly, letting him cry as much as he wanted to, knowing that he had been holding all of this inside of him for probably the whole summer.

"God.... why does.... why does it have to...hurt...so.... much?" He strangled out. Tears were falling down my own face as I shook my head slightly. I felt like my heart was breaking as I listened to him gasp and cry.  Softly I began to hum a lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I was younger. Eventually Harry's breathing seemed to be calming down a bit, and we moved so I was sitting on the swing and he was stretched out with his head in my lap. Tears still ran down his face, but the intense sobbing had stopped.

"Hermione?" His said, his voice rough. 

"Yes Harry?" I replied quietly, stroking his hair away from his face in a soothing manner. 

"Will you sing to me? That melody you were just humming? Sometimes I get flashbacks of my mom singing to me when I was baby. It's kind of comforting."

I nodded my head once, and continued to stroke his hair slowly as I sang in a soft voice.

**I wish to you sunshine, **

**My dear one, my dear one,**

**And treetops for you to soar past**

**I wish to you innocence**

**My child, my child**

**I pray you don't grow up too fast**

**Never know pain, **

**My dear one, my dear one**

**Nor hunger, nor fear, nor sorrow.**

**Never know war my child, my child**

**Remember your hope for tomorrow**

**My prayer is simple,**

**My dear one, my dear one**

**May you never need understand**

**My prayer is for peacetime**

**My child, my child**

**Live it well and this life can be grand. **

Harry's eyes drifted close as I sang, and his grip on my left hand loosened. I continued stroking his hair slowly, letting my mind drift back to all the adventures and danger we'd all been through together. Quietly I repeated the last few lines to myself.

**My prayer is for peacetime**

**My child, my child**

**Live it well and this life can be grand.**


	4. Chapter Three: Waking up the Birhtday Bo...

**Disclaimer: Don't own any characters. They all belong to JK Rowling. This is a work of fiction.**

**Chapter Three: Waking up the Birthday Boy**

Over the course of the next few days Harry and I didn't speak about what happened that first night. It's not that he was embarrassed about it, or that I was uncomfortable with what happened. After Harry fell asleep I sat there for about an hour and a half, thinking about the past five years and how much my life had changed because of this one young man. Finally I prodded Harry a little and helped him into the house. He was still half asleep, so I grabbed his pajamas for him that were lying on his bed and told him to go change in the bathroom. After he changed he came back in his room and climbed into his bed. We whispered good night to each other and I left, going back to my own room. 

Harry and I seemed to have reached an understanding after that night. He wasn't totally perky after that, but his smile seemed to reach his eyes now. His attitude wasn't the only thing that changed either. He has become seemingly more affectionate with me. Over the past several days it has become routine to kiss each other on the cheek before bedtime, and it is not uncommon to find us on the couch with Harry's head in my lap, or his arm around my shoulder as we walk around. 

We have never really spoken about this change; it really isn't anything too extreme. We still remain just friends, but it seems like we connect on a deeper level of friendship now. I have to admit that I have caught myself looking at him differently, or sometimes a strange thought will pop into my head about him. But the two of us aren't seeking anything romantic or even any different type of relationship. We're just content spending time together as friends. 

Harry's birthday rolled around three days after his arrival at my house. That morning I made sure I got up early so I could wake him and we could get an early start on our day. However, I thought about it and decided to let him sleep as late as possible, seeing as it is his birthday and all. He should get to relax. 

Finally at about 9:30 in the morning I snuck into his room, intent on waking him up so we could eat breakfast. I didn't bother peeking into the room to make sure he was properly covered, because I know he sleeps in a pair of jogging pants and a wife beater just about every night. I quietly entered the room, laughing silently at the sight before me. There lay Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, defeater of Voldemort, one third of the Golden Trio, with half of his body hanging off the bed and the bedcovers on the floor beneath him. His arms were splayed out under his head, and his legs were dangling off the edge of the bed. His hair was in even bigger disarray than normal, and his face was slack with sleep. 

I crept over to his bed and poked him in the side. "Harry...Harry...wake up Harry."

No answer. 

"Come on.... hello...Harry?" I poked him a little harder this time. 

No sign of movement. 

"Harry, come on, get up. It's your birthday!" I said, trying to wake him up again. Finally I gave up and reached over him, grabbing a pillow. Raising it over my head, I lightly smacked him in the side with it. 

"Oof!" He strangled out, eyes opening wide. I laughed at the expression on his face, and he just gave me glare.

"Come on Potter, get your arse out of bed! Oh my gosh, I just sounded like Ron!" I realized with horror. Harry laughed at this and sat up, a blush rising to his face as he realized how funny he was laying.  Getting a bit nervous about my plans for the day, I began to ramble a bit:

"I let you sleep as late as possible, but we need to eat breakfast so we can get started. I've got a few surprises in store for you today. Unless of course you would rather stay here and celebrate your birthday? Cause I mean we could totally do that if you don't feel like being out and about all day, really, I mean...."

Harry interrupted me by laying a hand on my arm. " 'Mione. Breathe. Whatever you have planned for today is fine. Considering I've spent many years cooped up at the Dursleys for my birthday, anything sounds good to me. And you didn't have to plan anything special for me, you know. It's not that big of a deal." 

I just gave him a look as if to say, 'What planet are you from?' 

He chuckled and grabbed me by the shoulders, steering me out of the room.

"Go, go so I can get my shower and get dressed. I'll be down in a few minutes, alright? Are jeans and a shirt okay for the today?" He asked, leaning up against the doorway. The sight of him, his hair all rumpled and looking like he just got out of bed (which is technically true) standing there against the doorframe looking down at me with those green, green eyes..... 

I managed to snap myself back to reality, wondering once again where these random thoughts about the boy-who-lived were coming from. 

"Yeah, that's perfect. See you in a few." 

I went back to my room and straightened up; I cannot stand a messy room. This only took a few minutes, so I went ahead and went downstairs, where I saw my mother making pancakes at the stove. My father was at the table, reading a copy of the local newspaper and drinking coffee.

" 'Ello Mum, Dad," I said grabbing two glasses and setting them out on the counter.

"Morning dear. Did you wake Harry up?" My mum asked, flipping the pancakes over in the pan. I grabbed the bottle of orange juice and poured some into each glass. 

"Yes. He should be down in a minute."

My dad folded the newspaper down and pointed out the window. "When he does come down, there are about seven owls out there waiting to be let in. Birthday presents I suppose?" 

I nodded and went over to the window. I opened it up and in swooped the owls just as Harry was walking down the stairs. They all flew over him one by one, dropping presents and cards in his hands. I rushed over and helped him get hold of all the parchments and envelopes, moving them over to the table. 

"Gosh, I didn't think this many people would remember my birthday," Harry said, looking at all the presents. 

"Harry Potter, of course everyone remembered! We are your friends, after all!" I exclaimed, putting my hands on my hips. 

"Do you care if I go ahead and open them?" He asked, gesturing to the pile.

"Go ahead Harry, the pancakes still have a few more minutes," My mother said, smiling. 

The first present was a box of practical jokes, including dung bombs, canary creams, whizzing worms and stink pellets-of course it was from none other than Fred and George Weasley who wrote:

_Harry,_

_Merely wanted to give you a preview of what is to come at W3. Hope you find use for them, hopefully on gits like Draco Malfoy. Happy Birthday!_

_F&G_

I explained the purposes of these gags to my parents, who couldn't decide whether to laugh or be appalled. Harry just grinned and put the box on the chair next to him. 

The next gift was from Ron, who sent Harry a book (I almost fell over when he opened it!) called The Origins of Quidditch.  Lavender and Pavarti sent Harry a gift certificate to Honeydukes, and Neville sent him a remembrall. From Remus he received a pocket watch that looked like the clock on the Weasley's wall. It had Harry's name along with my own, and Ron's. Instead of numbers there were the words 'Mortal danger', 'Hospital', 'Hogwarts', 'Home', etc.  These were only a few of the presents that the boy-who-lived received on his birthday. He also got things from Ginny, Seamus, Luna, and even Dumbledore, who sent him a journal to write his thoughts down in. 

Finally all the presents were opened, and the pancakes were done. My mother brought out a stack of three first, with a candle in the center. Harry beamed and blushed a little as we all sang Happy Birthday to him. He good-naturedly blew out the candle and thanked us. 

Breakfast went by fast as we talked about different things. One question popped up in my head though as I observed Harry, who was wearing a pair of jeans and a dark red short sleeved shirt. 

"Harry, when did you get so many pieces of muggle clothing?" I asked, knowing that most of his attire was meant for the wizarding world. 

"Ah, noticed that, did you? Aunt Petunia actually bought me a few new things at the start of the summer. I think part of the reason was because of the scare Moody and the rest of the wizarding lot gave her and my uncle. Suppose she didn't want me telling them that my aunt and uncle weren't providing for me. Of course I still had to do lots of chores this summer, so I don't really understand all that. Anyway, I've only got a few shirts and a couple pairs of pants. I actually was wondering if we could go clothes shopping in the next day or two? I got sent Ron some wizarding money to exchange for muggle money at the start of the summer. I've got a pretty good bit."__

I nodded my head as I finished off the last of my breakfast. I took my plate and likewise, Harry grabbed his own, both of us headed toward the sink. 

"No no no! I will take care of this. You two go off and have fun," My mom said, taking the plates from us.

"But Mrs. Granger, I feel so bad about leaving you to clean up after us. It won't take us long," Harry said.

My dad spoke up from the table. "Harry, it's okay. I'll help Sarah...and I thought we said no more of this Mrs. and Mr. Granger stuff! John and Sarah, all right? Or at least Mr. John and Mrs. Sarah. I feel like my parents with that Mr. and Mrs. Granger." 

I laughed and put my hand on Harry's arm. "Come on Harry. We can do the dished tomorrow. Let's go upstairs and I'll give you my present." 

Harry just looked at me, defeated. "Hermione, you didn't have to get me anything. Just staying here and being around you and your family is enough. You know that."

I just rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm, pulling him up the stairs. "Let's go, Potter."

He followed me to my room, where he stood examining the pictures as I dug his present out of my desk drawer. It came in a rather small box, which I think he was surprised to see. Usually I give him some sort of book for a present.

"Well go on, open it," I told him. He undid the green wrapping and gasped at what he saw. 

  
"My own snitch? Hermione, where did you get this? How did you afford this? I can't accept it!" He said, looking it over. 

"Of course you can silly. It's a birthday present. Besides, it's already been engraved. See?" I told him, pointing to the side of the gold ball. There it read:

**_Harry Potter_**

**_Gryffindor House_**

**_Seeker_**

****

"Hermione. This is too much, there's no telling how much this cost," He said, looking at me in amazement. 

"Really Harry, it's fine. I have plenty of money in the bank from trust funds and stuff from my grandparents and aunts and everything. Plus money I've made over the summer babysitting and doing stuff for my parents at the office. Now I'm not sure how a regular snitch works, but this one has a way to activate it so that every time you have it out it doesn't go flying off if you don't want it to. You just hold it and say "Considium" to make it fly, and "Desidium" to make it stop. You can't really play with it until school because of the anti-magic law while we're not at Hogwarts. But I thought you might like it, better than a book, anyway."

"I love it Hermione. I would have loved anything you got me, even a book. Thank you so much," Harry said, pulling me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him for a second before pulling back. Harry leaned down and kissed my forehead lightly.

"You're something, you know that?" He told me, smiling. I just blushed and looked away. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the clock, which read 10:45. 

"Well, since it's almost afternoon, are you ready to get going? Surprises await you, Harry Potter," I said, trying to do a good Trelawney impression. Harry laughed and nodded.

"Sure. Ready to go whenever you are." 

I smiled and led the way downstairs. "Just think of this day as a day for first experiences Harry. I don't think you'll be disappointed."

Harry grinned and followed me to the living room. "I can't wait!" 

I laughed at the child like expression on his face. "Yes, well, you might be cursing be by t the time the day is over." 

He grabbed my arm and turned me to him. "I would never curse you Hermione. You mean so much to me," He said softly. I squeezed his hand and looked back up at him, deciding to change the subject before we became uncomfortable.

"And you to me.  Now, let's party!" I exclaimed, making my way outside to the car where my dad was waiting for us. The whole time I couldn't help but wonder:

Was there something going on between Harry and me?


	5. Chapter Four: The Amusement Park

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with that universe. This is complete fiction: HP belongs to JK Rowling. 

AN: I don't know if England has theme parks, but let's pretend that they do. I'm using the theme park closest to my location as a basis for this theme park. Does anyone think that they are out of character? Sorry if they are! Let me know what you think about the story!

**Chapter Four: The Amusement Park**

"Wow! I've never been to anything like this before! It looks brilliant!" Harry exclaimed as my dad pulled the car up in front of the amusement park. I smiled and we both got out, gazing up at the Ferris Wheel and different roller coasters. 

"Okay guys. You two have fun, and Hermione, just call me when you are ready to come home, okay?" My dad said from his place behind the wheel. We turned back to face him and I nodded my head, bending down to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for the ride dad. See you in a bit."

He waved and pulled off. Harry turned and looked at me.

"Hermione, this is too much. You already bought me my very own snitch, you invited me to stay with you, and now all of this..."

I pushed my hair back off of my shoulders and smiled. 

"Harry, don't worry about it. Besides, Mum and Dad gave me the money to get in the park today, and to get something to eat. Consider it their birthday present to you," I said, linking my arm through his. He just shook his head.

"I'm just going to stop protesting. You get me at every turn," He said. I began to walk toward the front entrance where the ticket booths are located, forcing Harry to come along. 

"Of course I do. I am the top of our class, after all, " I joked, handing the man behind the counter our money. He gave us our tickets and we moved on past the front gates. 

"Okay Ms. Smarty-Pants. What do you want to ride first?" Harry asked me. I looked around for a minute.

"Well, since you've never been to anything like this before, do you want to try a roller coaster?" I asked, pointing to one that had three big loops and several twists and turns. Harry gazed up at it with a huge smile on his face.

"Let's go for it!" He exclaimed. I laughed and we joined the line in front of the roller coaster called, "The Rings of Fire." 

As we were waiting in line I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, someone waving at me. I turned to look, trying not to draw Harry's attention to the person. For half a second there, Tonks was waving at me from beside the water-dunking booth. Then, in the blink of an eye she had changed her hair color and other features, causing her to look like a young, normal muggle girl. She was standing with a man who looked to be in his late thirties. Squinting for a minute I realized that it was probably Professor Lupin under polyjuice potion or something of that sort.

You see, although Dumbledore granted permission for Harry to come here for a few weeks during the summer, he did it on one condition. We would be 'watched over' by at least two or three fully trained wizards during our outings. Harry wasn't to know this, because then he would probably lose that sense of freedom he so desperately loves. I'm not quite sure why Harry hasn't figured out that someone is watching him. I mean, Dumbledore certainly wouldn't let Harry go off unprotected in the muggle world. I suppose that Dumbledore thinks that between Harry, Tonks, Lupin and myself we can handle any trouble that comes our way. 

The Order thinks it's unlikely that Voldemort will attack before the start of the school year, what with all of his most trusted death eaters being sent to Azkaban for the incident at the Ministry of Magic last term. Professor Dumbledore wrote to me that the dark lord would probably spend the summer trying to come up with a new attack plan and spend time trying to recruit more death eaters. He mentioned to me that something was being done to try and thwart Voldemort's efforts, but said nothing else on the subject.

Anyway, Lupin and Tonks were supposed to blend into the crowd so that Harry wouldn't notice them. I suppose they just wanted to let me know that they were watching. I wiggled my fingers at Tonks before turning back around. 

"What were you doing?" Harry asked me, raising an eyebrow. I just shrugged and looked away from him.

"Oh, just waving to a friend of mine and her brother. They used to live next door to me a few years ago. Ah, here we are," I said as we stepped up to the ticket counter. I gave the man the correct amount of tickets and we snagged a cart in the middle. There were two people to a seat, so that worked out fine.  A big metal bar came down over our laps, and yellow vest like set of bars came down over our heads to rest on our shoulders. 

"I warn you. I do tend to scream on these rides," I said. 

"Now you warn me," He replied jokingly. The ride began to shift and I grabbed onto the shoulder bars, holding tightly. Harry glanced over at me, amused.

"Scared, Hermione?" He asked. I nodded.

"I've been on this before. I love rides like this because they scare me so much. It's an adrenaline kick," I said. The ride began to pick up speed and it was too hard to yell over the noise and the wind. Down and up, around, sideways, over loops we went. We zoomed over the biggest loop and when we got to the point where we were hanging upside down, the ride halted for a few seconds, leaving us dangling in mid air. Harry and I were both screaming our lungs out. Finally the ride **whooshed **back down the loop. The entire ride took only a few minutes, but they seemed to last forever. The carts pulled up in front of the platform and stopped. Slowly the bars retracted and Harry climbed out, holding out a hand to help me climb down. 

"Ugh. I feel sick.  I don't think we should have gone on something like that after breakfast," I said.  We walked down the metal stairs and back onto the grounds.

" You could have thought of that before the ride!" Harry exclaimed, holding his stomach. We stumbled over to a nearby bench and sat down. 

"You wanted to go on the ride too!" I pointed out, breathing in and out slowly. My stomach was feeling a bit better since we moved to the bench. We sat there for about fifteen more minutes, enough time to ensure that our stomachs would hold down breakfast. We decided to go on the bumper cars, where we learned that neither of us should be getting behind the wheel of a vehicle anytime soon. After that we rode '**The** **Thunderbolt**,' which has cars that spin you in circles. That ride was lots of fun, so we went on it twice. 

We rode '**The Tornado'** which has individual seats that turn and spin by themselves. There was also '**Cliffhanger,' 'Space,' 'the Gravitron,' and 'The Inverter.'** Then Harry convinced me to get on '**Pitfall**,' which is a ride that has seats that wind all the way around a big pole and leaves the riders legs dangling out in the air. It takes you up about four or five stories in the air, and then drops you straight down. The ride produced that horrible falling feeling that I detest. We climbed off the ride and I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering from the sensation.

"Hey, are you all right?" Harry asked me as he walked up next to me. I nodded but didn't say anything. He put his arm around my shoulder and turned me to face him.

"Hermione, do you need to sit down? What's wrong?" He questioned, leading me over to some fold out chairs by a balloon-popping booth. I sat down and took a slow breath.

"Nothing, I just hate that feeling. It terrifies me. That's one reason I won't get on a broom, because I'm afraid of falling off and plummeting to the ground," I confessed.

"But you ride the roller coasters and those other rides that dip you upside down," Harry said, obviously confused. I gave him a slow smile.

"Right, but they only hold you like that for a few seconds, and they don't shoot you straight down. It's not a falling feeling like **'The Pitfall,'** is," I explained.  Harry put his arm around me again and rubbed my shoulder lightly with his fingers. 

"Why did you go on it then?" He asked. 

"Well, I had never been on it, so I figured I might as well try it out. Plus you wanted to go on it, and I drug you on that roller coaster...." I told him, trying to concentrate on the words coming out of my mouth and not his hand on my shoulder. Harry chuckled a bit at this, which made me give him a questioning look.

"Brave 'Mione. Next time just tell me, okay? " He asked, standing up. I nodded and stood up beside him. 

"Promise," I said, feeling a bit better. We walked around for a few minutes before we stopped in front of a small red booth. It was one of those games where you have to knock the milk bottles over with a ball. For every bottle you knock over the higher your score goes, and the prizes vary for the different score ranges. The pudgy, balding man in a red striped suit stood behind the counter, advertising the game in a big booming voice. He seemed to spot us just as we stopped.

"Hello! Hello young man, come on over and win a pretty prize for your pretty girl there. Step right up and win that lovely lady a prize!" The man exclaimed. I looked at Harry, who just winked at me handed the man some tickets. Harry got two tries, and knocked down all the bottles on both tries. 

"Well look-y here folks! The young man has done it; he has knocked down twenty bottles! Little lady choose your prize!" The man exclaimed. I looked at Harry again, who just nodded his head.  I looked over the array of stuffed animals and finally chose a huge stuffed teddy bear. The man handed him to me and smiled. As we walked away we heard him yelling in that booming voice, " See if you can match the young man! Step right up and throw the ball! "

I looked over at Harry as we walked. "Thanks so much Harry! He's adorable!" I said, hugging the big stuffed animal.

Harry laughed and looked at me," It was nothing Hermione. I don't know how you can see while you are carrying that thing though. What are you going to name him?" 

I thought about it for a few minutes. "I think I'll call him P.J." 

Harry looked at quizzically. "P.J.?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Your last two initials are J. and P. Switch 'em around and you get PJ."

Harry looked at me like I was insane. "Okaaaay. Sure." 

I smacked him on his arm and led him over to the Ferris Wheel. "Let's go on this next. You can see everything in the park from here."

Harry agreed and we climbed aboard, leaving PJ in the care of the man operating the machine. Slowly our chair made it to the top, stopping for a few minutes as custom. 

"I've had a lot of fun today Hermione," Harry said. I looked over at him and smiled.

"Good, I'm glad. I wanted to do something different for you. I know that everything stresses you out sometimes, so I thought maybe we could use a day of fun."

Harry grinned," Oh it was fun. Even the part where I almost threw up because someone wanted to go on the roller coaster right after we ate breakfast."

I swatted his knee," Yeah, well you got me back for it on that free-fall ride. So shut your mouth Potter." 

We laughed good-naturedly for a minute before becoming quiet again. "Do you think Ron is having fun?" I asked, gazing out at the park, shivering a bit in the wind. Suddenly I felt Harry's arm around my shoulders. 

"Yes, I imagine he is. I'd love to see him again though," Harry said, squeezing my shoulder gently. 

"Me too. Though I'm pretty comfortable right where I am," I said, reveling in the feeling of his arm around me._ 'Where did these feelings come from, and what did all of this mean?' _I wondered to myself. 

"I agree. I wouldn't change this day for all the galleons in the world," Harry replied. This caused a slow smile to spread over my face. 

If only I had known what was to come, I would have cherished those moments even more. 


	6. Chapter Five: And the Thunder Rolls

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry or any character, place, or chain of events associated with him. JK Rowling owns all of that stuff. This is pure fiction, meant to harm no one.**

**A/N: Hope you like this chapter! Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think. Are things moving to fast? Too slow? Too much detail?  Should I continue, or give it up? Let me know! I live for reviews!**

**Chapter Five: And The Thunder Rolls...**

"Ahhhh!" Harry and I yelled as we were pelted with rain. What had begun as a clear, beautiful day had suddenly been turned into a wet, miserable experience. We were standing under a canopy at the Amusement Park waiting for my dad when the rain began. We looked up at the sky to see huge, black clouds staring back at use threateningly from the sky. 

"This is yucky," I said, wrapping my arms around myself, trying to get as far away from the rain as possible. The canopy was small and there were several other people under it too. Harry nodded his agreement. 

"At least we had fun before the rain started though," I pointed out. 

"Yeah. It could be worse. Besides, I kind of like thunderstorms every now and again," Harry replied. More people crowded into the small space, pushing me against Harry. Eventually he just opened his arms and pulled me against him. 

"More comfortable this way," he said faintly, looking off in the distance. I nodded my agreement. Suddenly I saw a familiar gray car pull up. 

"There's dad! Let's make a run for it!" I exclaimed, grabbing Harry's hand. The car was just a short distance from the canopy, but the ground in between was very muddy and full of puddles. Harry and I ran across, laughing as we both almost fell on our bums in the mud. We finally made it into the car in one piece, and slid into the backseat. My dad had two towels ready for us, and we both dried off as he pulled out of the lot.

"Dad, I thought the weather was supposed to be good today. What's with the storm?" I asked as I tried to towel dry my curly hair. Over the past year or so my hair had tamed down thanks to some new muggle hair products. It is still very curly though, just not as bushy. It falls into curls down my back instead of sticking out. 

"The bloke on the news said that it was some weird weather front that moved in quickly over the past few hours. They don't think it will last very long though," He informed me. I nodded and sat back in my seat, watching the rain fall against the window. Outside the sky made a huge **boom** that made me jump about three feet in the air. Harry laughed and patted my knee.

"It's just thunder, Hermione," He said. I just glared at him. 

"It just surprised me is all," I said, folding my arms. 

"Sure, sure," Harry replied. I gave him another mock-glare and settled back into my seat again. It didn't take long for us to get home, and I was thankful for a garage in thunderstorms like these. 

We rushed inside, where my mom had tea waiting for us. We all sat down and drank tea together, talking about the weird storm. 

"At least it didn't hit us when we were on one of the rides," Harry commented. I nodded my head, agreeing with him.

"Yeah, that would have been awful. I wonder how long it will last?" I said, sipping my tea.  We continued on for a few more minutes, and then we washed our dishes and went upstairs to my room. 

**Boom, Boom, CRACK!**

I jumped again at the thunder and lightening, shivering as the lights began to flicker on and off. I grabbed onto Harry's arm and breathed a sigh of relief when the power stayed on. Harry laughed and sat down on my bed.

"I didn't think you were afraid of storms, Hermione," Harry said, playing with the ruffle of one of my pillows. I sat down on my window seat and looked out at the rain. 

"At Hogwarts storms don't really bother me. The school is so huge you can barely tell there's a storm going on, and I feel safer there knowing that a storm really couldn't do damage to the buildings. But here at home the space is much smaller, and the sounds much louder. It just makes me nervous sometimes. I mean, I'm not scared to death of storms, but I'm not thrilled with all the sound effects either," I explained. Another round of thunder came through **boom.... boom.... boom...**

This time the power went out and stayed out. I could still see a little bit, enough to see Harry's form standing up and coming toward me. I stood up too and he grabbed my hand. We made it to my door and entered the hallway to find it almost pitch black. After all, it was about five in the afternoon and a storm was raging outside. 

"Don't let go of my hand Mione. We're going to go downstairs with your parents, okay?" Harry asked. 

"Okay. Just be careful going down the stairs," I told him. He pulled me along by the hand to the staircase, and we both grabbed onto the banister with our free hand, taking the steps slowly.

"Harry? Hermione? Are you two coming down here?" My mum's voice rang out from the living room area. 

"Yes mum, we're on our way," I called back. We finally made it down the stairs and into the living room. My dad had his cell phone on and was talking into it, casting a light blue glow all around him as it lit up. 

"Who is dad talking to?" I asked, keeping hold of Harry's hand. Dad hung up before mum could reply to my question.

"That was your Aunt Jamie. She still has power at her house, and told us to come over if we wanted.  You know how she is with storms anyway, so I think it would be a good idea. Everyone up for it?" He asked. 

"Sure," Harry and I replied at the same time. 

"Sounds good," My mom said. We all somehow managed to get to the side door leading to the garage and into the car without bumping into something. 

"My aunt only lives about twenty minutes from here. She's thirty-five and really great. She likes to travel a lot and just got back from America a few weeks ago. She likes to read too, and she's my favorite aunt," I told Harry. He smiled at me and said, "She sounds brilliant 'Mione. Like a grown up version of you." 

I grinned and looked out the window.  After about ten minutes of driving the rain was getting heavier and heavier. I was starting to get nervous about being in this small car with that big storm out there. Something didn't feel right about all of this. 

My dad slowed down a bit because the weather was so bad, but eventually we reached my Aunt's two story gray house. We pulled up in the driveway and made another dash for the door, which my aunt pulled open just in time for us to run in. She had laid down towels in front of the door, and we all wiped our feet and took our shoes off. 

"Well hello you lot. Wonderful weather we're having, is it not?" She said, her brown eyes sparkling. She pushed back a strand of her short brown hair and looked at Harry. 

"You must be Harry. It's nice to meet you, finally," She said, glancing over at me. I blushed a bit but smiled as Harry shook my aunt's hand and returned her greeting. 

"Why don't we all go into the living room? There are lots of warm blankets there, and I could fix something to eat if you would like," Aunt Jamie said, leading us into the living room. Harry and I took a seat on the couch and declined her offer of food. My parents went into the kitchen with her though to make some sandwiches.  

Outside the wind began to get worse, howling against the house. The blinds to the nearest window were open, and I could see the wind was blowing the limbs of trees so hard that some of them looked ready to break.  The rain began to pelt down faster and harder, and suddenly the thunder began again too. 

**Boom**

**Boom**

**Boom.**

I glanced at Harry and was about to say something when the lights flickered on and off, on and off, before finally going off for good. 

I sighed and felt for Harry's hand. "This is getting old. Something about this doesn't feel right Harry. This storm coming out of nowhere, the power going out at my house and then at my aunt's...what do you think is going on?" I asked. 

"I don't know, but I'm starting to think this storm isn't just a coincidence," Harry told me, squeezing my hand. I stood up, pulling him up too.

"We better go into the kitchen with my family in case something happens. Do you have your wand?" I asked Harry as we felt our way into the kitchen. 

"Yes, I grabbed it when we went back to your house. You had better get yours out too."

I nodded and stuck my hand in my pocket, fishing out my wand quickly. 

"Harry, Hermione? Is that you?" My aunt's voice came from somewhere around the sink, I think.

"Yes, it's us. Mum, dad? I think that maybe there is something weird going on here, but I'm not sure. We all really need to stay together right now, okay?" I asked.  Suddenly a small light filled the room as my mom and dad lit two candles. I saw that there were four more on the table. They lit those too and we carried them into the living room, leaving two in the kitchen. 

"Why do you think there is something weird going on, Hermione? Could we be in danger?" My dad asked me, a worried expression on his face.  I looked at Harry before turning back to my father.

"I don't know dad, I-" I never got to finish what I was saying as I heard six distinctive **"Craaack's"** coming from behind us. My aunt screamed as Harry and I whirled around to see five death eaters in white masks standing behind us. We both pulled out our wands and held them ready.

"Good evening Mr. Potter. Lord Voldemort sends his greetings," the closest death eater hissed.  I could feel Harry tense beside me. 

"Don't you mean Tom Riddle? Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot he doesn't like being reminded of his un-pure blood, " Harry retorted. The death eater tensed, his wand tipping down a bit. 

" I will kill you for insulting his name in my presence Potter. But first I think I'll kill your little mudblood and her family to make you suffer. _Crucio!" _He yelled out, pointing his wand at me. 

"Get down!" I screamed, ducking the curse. 

"You three, get behind the couch NOW!" I yelled at my parents and aunt. I didn't have time to see if they did as I instructed. Instead I turned my attention back to the death eaters. 

_"Stupefy!" _ I screamed, pointing my wand at the death eater to the left of the speaker.

_"Impedimenta!" _Harry called out, taking down another death eater. 

_"Incarcerous!" _I cried, causing ropes to appear around the two death eaters we cursed. 

_"Crucio!" _Another death eater yelled, and Harry jumped to the right just in time to miss the curse. 

_"Crucio!"_

_"Imperius!"_

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

Unforgivables were being flung at us left and right, but when the killing curse was used my heart stopped for a second. Then I realized that Harry had dove out of the killing curse's path and in doing so, he cracked his head on the ground. I jumped at the sound, but couldn't move to help him because of the remaining death eaters.

_"Impedimenta! Expelleriamus!" _I screamed, pointing my wand at the tallest death eater. He froze and his wand came flying to me. The other death eaters flung curses at me, but I managed to out-maneuver them.

_ "Incarcerous!"_ I called out again, leaving the frozen death eater with ropes tightly binding him like the others. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Harry struggling to get up, finally finding his feet. He turned towards me and I saw a huge gash in the side of his head near his temple. Red blood was trickling down the side of his face, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I glanced back to see that my family was okay, and that distraction cost me. 

_"Crucio!"_ One of the death eaters called out, and I immediately fell to the ground writhing in pain. I screamed and crawled on my hands and knees, hearing the sounds of Harry battling the death eaters but unable to help because of my pain. 

_"Petrificus Totalus!" _I heard him yell, and my pain stopped suddenly. He had hit the death eater that cursed me, therefore breaking the curse.

 I managed to stand back up on my feet and grip my wand. Only two death eaters were left, the ringleader and a smaller death eater.  My body was screaming at me, the after-effects of the curse ringing through me. I refused to give in though, and stood my ground. 

"Expelleriamus! " I called out shakily, pointing my wand at the smaller one. I grabbed his wand as it flew to me and yelled out, _"Petrificus Totalus!" _

**_CRAAAACK!!!_**

The familiar sound of someone apparating filled the room. I couldn't turn to see if it was friend or foe, because even as Harry called out, _" Stupefy!"_  to the last death eater I collapsed to the ground, my world going black. 

**A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed! I even received a death threat if I didn't up update soon! *Sniffles* I feel like a real writer now. Sorry for another cliffie....actually, not I'm not, lol. Anyway, I'll probably be updating again tomorrow sometime, so keep checking back. Let me know what you think! R/R!**


	7. Chapter Six: Confusion

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with him. JK Rowling owns the Harry Potter empire. This is all complete fiction.**

**A/N: I'm not sure if I like this chapter. I don't think it's my best one, but I felt it necessary in a way. Let me know if you think it's okay, or if it totally sucks. I love reviews!**

**Chapter Six:  Confusion**

_".....will be fine....."_

_"...don't know how..._

_"...very lucky..."_

I was shrouded in some sort of a foggy mist, surrounded by darkness on all sides. A dull aching drummed through my body, so I safely assumed I was still alive. My hearing was fading in and out though, so I only heard snippets of the conversations around me.  My mind gave  a sudden jolt, and I felt myself being pulled somewhere. Looking around, I realized I could see! 

Large stone walls stared back at me, while a torch blazed brightly above my head. Wrinkling my forehead in confusion, I turned around to further inspect my surroundings. What I saw made my heart skip several beats. There, chained to the far wall, hung a bleeding Harry Potter.

"Oh Harry," I whispered, stepping closer to him. 

_"Hermione?"_ He rasped, trying to lift his head to look at me. I reached out and touched his face, which was smeared with dirt and blood. His hands and feet lay incased in metal chains clamped firmly to the wall. Blood, dirt and sweat covered his entire body. His shirt had been torn in several places, and his face was deeply scratched. 

"Harry, Harry, what happened?" I asked, my heart racing as I searched myself for my wand.  I almost panicked as I realized it wasn't with me, wherever we were. I walked over to where his wrists were chained to the wall and tried to pry them loose, but to no avail.

_"You got distracted in the fight. I tried to hold them off, but I couldn't do it by myself. You let me down Hermione. You failed me when I needed you the most. Because of you, we're both going to die," _Harry gasped out, his green eyes looking at me with pain and disappointment. I backed away from him slowly, covering my mouth with my hands. No, it couldn't be true. How could this happen? 

Frantically I began to look around. The room had no windows, and only one huge door that was made of heavy iron. It was barred, and even if I could have gotten the bar off, I would need the key to open the door. I tried to lift the bar, but it was way too heavy; it wouldn't even budge. 

I walked back over to Harry, and put my hand on his arm, trying to pry the shackles open. Like the door, they too required a key. Harry flinched when I brushed up against his side. I pulled his shirt up past his waist to see a huge gaping wound across his stomach. I don't know how I didn't notice it before. I fell to my knees as I realized he would die from these wounds unless I could help him in someway. That posed a problem, because I didn't know what to do. 

 _'Why can't I concentrate? Why can't I find of a way out of this?'_  I thought, falling to my knees. 

 **BANG!**

The heavy door swung open, and there stood Voldemort himself, looking at me in disgust.

"Ah, the ever clever Miss Granger. Not so clever now, are you? Couldn't even save your best friend from death, could you? Worthless little mudblood. I do believe it's time to watch your precious Harry Potter join his parents and godfather. Then I think I'll torture you for a while. Of course if you're lucky, I might just go ahead and kill you.  Murdering one's nemesis does tend to put one in a good mood," He hissed, his hideous face contorting in an evil smile. I stood up in front of Harry and faced the dark lord.

"If you want to kill him, you'll have to go through me first," I declared. The dark lord strode forward and stood in front of me. 

"I don't think so little witch. Because then your love for him might save him, just like his mother's did all those years ago. No, Potter won't beat me again. Lucius, Bellatrix, seize her!" He ordered. Two death eaters in white masks grabbed me by my arms, dragging me away.  I kicked and punched, trying to get away from them. Lucius managed to stop me by calling out, "_Incarcerous!"_

Thick brown ropes wrapped themselves around my body, causing me to fall to the floor. Try as I might I couldn't get out of them. I looked back at Voldemort just in time to see him raise his wand and point it at Harry, who took one last gasping breath. 

_"Avada Kedavra!"_ The dark lord cried out. Harry screamed in pain as the killing curse hit him full in the chest. For one moment his eyes opened wide. The next second his face went slack and his entire body slumped over. 

Tears poured down my face even faster as I called out_, ' NO! Harry!  No, no......Harry....wake up! Harry wake up, please wake up, Harry....'_

My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest as I closed my eyes in grief. 

_"Please, Hermione, wake up.... Hermione.... please wake up..."_

My eyes snapped open at the sound of my name. That sounded like Harry calling me. But he couldn't be...could he? 

_'Hermione, come on.... wake up.... Hermione...'_

The room around me began to blur and I felt myself spinning around and around. I closed my eyes tightly and felt that sudden jolt again. The spinning stopped, and I took a deep breath before opening my eyes. 

"Hermione! You're awake! Thank goodness, I was starting to get seriously scared there," Harry told me. I just stared at him. No scratches, no blood, no disappointed look in his eyes...

"Harry!" I exclaimed, leaping forward and grabbing him, hugging him with all my might.

"Harry, thank goodness you're alright. I thought he killed you, I saw him curse you and I thought you were dead and you told me it was all my fault and I was scared and I couldn't help you, and..." I rambled on, clutching him to me tightly. He had jumped in surprise when I first grabbed him, but as I talked he pulled me closer to him and rubbed my back soothingly. 

"Hermione, it's alright. You must have been dreaming. You hit your head pretty hard when you fell in your aunt's living room. I'm all right, I promise. None of what you dreamed took place, it's okay," He told me softly.  I glanced around for a second, realizing that I was in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts.

"Uh-umm..."

We jumped apart, and I for one blushed terribly as I saw my mum, dad, Dumbledore, and Madame Pomfrey standing there. 

"Mum, dad, are you okay? Is Aunt Jamie alright? Where is she? What's going on?" I asked, giving them concerned looks. My parents looked at each other before turning back to me. 

"Well dear, we were not hurt in the attack. This is in part to you, screaming at us as you did to get behind the sofa. We've had your Aunt's memory obliviated so as not to cause her further worry and stress. Her house has been fixed back to normal, and she remembers nothing of the incident. You, however, we are worried about," My father told me, coming to sit beside me on the bed. 

"I really don't feel that Miss Granger is up to all of this talk straight away. I believe it would be in her better interest if she were to rest for the remainder of the evening. Explanations can be given tomorrow morning, if you wish," Madame Pomfrey announced. I gave her an unhappy look, and glanced at Professor Dumbledore for help. He just chuckled and nodded at me.

"I believe Poppy is correct in this situation Miss Granger. You were hit with a very powerful curse, and you must rest. We cannot have you getting worked up so soon after the attack. From what I understand you also had a rather uneasy sleep, so I must insist that you eat some chocolate and stay calm for the rest of the night. We will talk and explain everything tomorrow," Professor Dumbledore said, patting my hand. 

"Alright, I get the message. I suppose I can wait until tomorrow," I replied, accepting the chocolate bar Madame Pomfrey gave me. 

"I'll also give you a dreamless sleeping potion in a bit so that you won't have any more nightmares," She informed me. I nodded my head and ate a piece of chocolate. 

"Well dear, your father and I are were very worried about you. However, it has been a very exhausting experience and I would like to retire to the room the Headmaster has provided for us. We will be staying here for a few days at least. If you need us, we are right down the hall, okay sweetie?" My mom asked me. I nodded my head in understanding. She and my father kissed my forehead, before following Professor Dumbledore out of the Wing. 

Just seconds later Madame Pomfrey handed me a dark purple potion in a glass. I wrinkled my nose and swallowed it down, making a face afterwards.

"You have fifteen minutes Mr. Potter," The nurse warned, before going into her office. I looked up at Harry from my place on the small bed. 

"I have something for you," Harry said, reaching down beside the bed. I raised an eyebrow, curious to what he was talking about. A huge smile broke out on my face when I saw P.J., my stuffed animal from the amusement park. I reached out and took him from Harry, hugging the stuffed animal to me. 

"Where did you get it?" I asked him. He just smiled at me and replied, "That's my little secret." 

Rolling my eyes, I set P.J. on the floor leaning up against the night stand by my bed. I looked back up at Harry, noting the concerned look in his green eyes. Slowly I reached up and touched the side of his forehead, where a dark brown bandage had been placed.

"How is your head?" I asked, worried about his injury. He took my outstretched hand in his and held it gently. 

"It's fine. Madame Pomfrey gave me some potion to stop the pain. It'll be okay in a few days. Meanwhile, I'm more worried about you. You really scared me when you wouldn't wake up, 'Mione," He informed me. I looked down at our joined hands, then back up at him. 

"Yes, well I was very frightened by the dream I had of you. I thought you were dead Harry, I was so scared..." I trailed off, tears filling my eyes at the memory. 

"Hey," Harry whispered, bringing a hand up to smooth my hair back from my face. " We're going to be friends forever, remember?  I'm not going to leave you, Hermione. I promise you that."

I nodded and looked back down at our joined hands. Slowly his thumb began to stroke the back of my hand in gentle circles. I could feel my eyelids start to drift close. I tried to fight the sleepiness, but the potion was too strong. It wasn't long before I fell asleep, wondering if Harry would be able to keep his promise.

**A/N: Hopefully the next chapter will be up in the next day or two. Let me know what you think of this one! Hope it wasn't too confusing. And I hope "someone" is glad that PJ is back. I sort of forgot about him, sorry!**


	8. Chapter Seven: Changing Plans and OWL Re...

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with the franchise. JK Rowling is the owner of all that. This is total fiction.**

**AN: Not sure what I think about this chapter. It's sort of a fill in chapter; I promise the next one's going to be more interesting. Anyway, let me know what you think. I would love some more reviews! **

"Hermione, hurry up. We're supposed to be in Dumbledore's office in ten minutes," Harry said to me from the other side of my privacy curtain in the Hospital Wing. I sighed and slipped my gray and black sneakers on quickly. Finally I pushed the curtain back to reveal Harry standing there with his hands in his pockets. I noticed that when he looked up he scanned me briefly from head to foot, and I bit my lip in sudden nervousness. Because I still wasn't feeling quite up to par yet, I chose to go simple in a pair of dark blue jeans and a black top with a glittering British flag in the center. I'm not like Parvati and Lavender, who like to show their stomachs and cleavage. Comfort is a major clothing factor for me. Still, I hope I look decent. 

Harry himself was wearing a pair of khaki pants and a dark green shirt. His hair was in the usual disarray, making him look even cuter. _'Whoa...cute? Where did that come from? Why can't I seem to get him off my mind?' _I wondered to myself. I tried to keep my thoughts from showing on my face by smiling and looping my arm through one of his. 

"I'm never late for anything, Harry Potter. Come on, we'll go before you have a conniption fit," I said, leading him out the double doors.  We walked the familiar halls quickly, heading toward Professor Dumbledore's office.

"Where are your parents?" Harry questioned me as we turned a corner. 

"They came by the wing a while ago. They've already spoken to Dumbledore this morning. I have a feeling they discussed what we are going to talk with him about. Anyway, they mentioned something about Professor Sprout giving them a tour of her private gardens. They're going to meet back up with me after we get done with the Headmaster," I explained, smiling again as we turned another corner and began the walk down the hall that would lead us to the stone gargoyle. Harry began to pick up his pace a little bit, obviously anxious to get there.  

"Harry, if you don't slow your wizard behind down, I'm going to curse you from here into the next millennium!" I exclaimed. He slowed a bit and looked down at me sheepishly. 

"Sorry Mione," He said, running a hand through his dark hair. 

"Not all of us have long legs, Mr. Potter," I teased, poking him in the side gently. He grinned at me and replied, "Well I can't help it if some of us are as short as goblins."

I gasped and thumped him lightly. "That was so mean. I don't think I can associate with you anymore, Harry Potter. "

He laughed at this and put his arm around my shoulders. "I was just playing. Besides, you know you can't live without me. Who else would give you the password to the Headmaster's office?" He asked as we came upon the familiar gargoyle.  I turned and smiled sweetly at him.

"I don't need you to give me the password. I already know it. Canary Creams, " I said, my smile getting even bigger as the gargoyle moved aside. Harry gave me mock glare before laughing. 

"I should have known I couldn't outsmart you. Come on, let's go," he said. We made our way through the passage and into the main office of Albus Dumbledore.

"Good morning Harry, Hermione. Please, have a seat," Professor Dumbledore said from his chair behind the huge wooden desk. Two dark red chairs sat across from the Headmaster, and we each took one. 

"Now I know you must have questions. Harry has explained to me what went on that night, but I would like to hear it from your point of view as well Miss Granger. Do you mind?" He asked me. I shook my head and began to recount the events of that night. I told the professor about how I started to feel strange about the storm, and about the death eater battle that took place. I ended my tale at the part where I fell to the ground, unconscious.  As I finished, the professor nodded his head in understanding.

"I see. Do you have any theory as to why you were attacked?" He questioned, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Not really sir. I don't think they really intended to kill us. I mean, Harry and I are good at D.A.D.A. and we duel okay, but I get the feeling that those death eater's were holding back a bit. The killing curse was used, but only once. If they intended on really killing us, they would have used it more often. Also, he only sent six death eaters. If it was a real attack I am sure he would have sent more, to insure that we were defeated. I don't know quite what to make of it all, to tell you the truth," I said, looking at the much older man in confusion.

"I agree with Hermione. There were many pauses where the death eater's probably could have taken us out. We were caught off guard and we let ourselves get distracted. I think maybe this was more of a scare tactic than anything else," Harry piped in, shifting slightly in his chair. Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled at us from behind his half-moon glasses.

"I do agree that this probably was meant only to scare you, maybe injure you a bit. He is trying to distract and distress you Harry, and you mustn't let it work. As to the question about whether the death eater's were holding back in the duel, I couldn't answer that as I was not present. I do know that you are both very skilled in that area, but of course it could be as you said. Either way, I must commend both you and Miss Granger for your brave actions that night. "

"Miss Granger, I am sure you are wondering what exactly happened after you blacked out. Shortly after you fell, Remus Lupin and Nymphdora Tonks apparated into the residence and took care of the remaining death eater. Unbeknownst to you Harry, you have had at least two wizards following you ever since you left for Hermione's. We, of course, could not leave you unprotected in these dangerous times. We felt it was better if they kept out of sight.  Remus and Nymphdora were outside the residence trying to set up protective shields when they were attacked by another set of six death eaters. By the time they disposed of these death eaters, your fight was almost over, and they apparated straight in. All of you were then transported here to Hogwarts, where both of you were treated by Madame Pomfrey. The death-eaters were then taken to Azkaban. "

Professor Dumbledore stood up and placed his hands on his desk, leaning forward toward Harry and myself.

"Now, as to what is to be done in the aftermath of this attack. Because of these strange circumstances, I do believe it would be in your best interest if you were to move to Grimmauld Place for the remainder of the summer. It is unplottable and therefore the safest place for you to be. Not to mention the number of wizards and witches that are constantly moving in and out of the house. You will be well-protected there," Professor Dumbledore said.  

Harry and I looked at each other. It wasn't hard to read the disappointment and fear in his eyes. I know he wasn't looking forward to going back to the place where Sirius spent so much time. It would bring up painful feelings and memories for the boy-who-lived. I looked back up at the Headmaster, a question forming in my mind.

"What do my parents have to say about this, Professor? " I asked. He nodded his head as if he was expecting my question.

"Your parents are concerned about your safety, as well as Harry's. However, they said that they trust my judgment on the matter. They want you to be as safe as possible.

I must say, Miss Granger, that you have done well in informing them of the goings-on in the wizarding world. They are, of course, scared for you and your friends. However, I believe that they realize what part you have played and will play in all of this. Therefore they are willing to let you go with Harry to Grimmauld Place for the next month or so," The Headmaster told me. 

I let out a sigh of relief. I know my parents miss me a lot while I am gone in the magical world. We stay in contact and everything, but sometimes I feel guilty that I can't be "normal" for them. Of course they've never really said anything about this, but I still get that feeling sometimes. 

" Now. I expect the two of you to behave well during your stay at Grimmauld Place. You are not to leave the House and yard until your trip to Diagon Alley later on in the month. I will be seeing you there at least once a week, as I will be in close contact with Order of the Phoenix members.  Harry, you will begin receiving Occulumency lessons with Snape again. Twice a week will do, on Monday's and Thursday's.  On Tuesday's and Wednesday's you will have defense lessons with Remus Lupin.  In addition, Professor McGonagall will be giving you some special training that will begin in two weeks. Any questions?" Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes studying us carefully over the rim of his glasses. 

"What about Ron, sir? Will we get to see him before the start of the term?" Harry asked. I glanced at him, knowing what he was thinking. Ron would be really upset if we spent all that time together before school at Grimmauld Place and he wasn't allowed to stay too. 

"Ah, yes, Mr. Weasley. He and his family will be arriving in three days, I believe, at Grimmauld Place.  Ron and Hermione will be sharing Professor McGonagall's lessons with you, as well as Remus Lupin's. Since the three of you seem to like 'adventuring' together, I thought it would be wise for the two of them to learn these things with you," He told us. 

I grinned in delight. I get to take extra lessons with Harry and Ron! Although I must admit I'm not too broken up about not sharing Snape's lessons with Harry. 

"Professor, must I continue with Professor Snape? Couldn't you teach me?" Harry asked, his tone pleading. Dumbledore sighed and shook his head.

"I am sorry Harry, but I feel that you will learn more from Professor Snape," The Headmaster replied. I could feel Harry's body tense a bit. 

"You don't know how it is, Headmaster. I'll never be able to learn anything from him. He reflects his hate for my father onto me," Harry said.  The headmaster looked at Harry quietly for a moment. 

"That may be partially true, but I do not believe you are seeing the entire picture, Harry. But I will make a deal with you. If you attend the first four lessons with Professor Snape and you still are making no progress, then we will find another solution. Does that sound fair to you?" He asked. I raised my eyebrow, astonished that Dumbledore would make such an offer.  Harry thought about it for a few moments, and then nodded. 

Professor Dumbledore smiled, clapping his hands together once before speaking, "Very well. Hermione, Harry, I believe I have a few school letters for the two of you, if you care for them, " the Headmaster said. I shot a look at Harry; I had suspect that one of the letter's would be our O.W.L. results, which made me quite nervous. 

 Dumbledore shuffled around some papers on his desk before finally producing four envelopes, two for each of us. I reached out for mine, my hand shaking with nerves. I glanced at Harry again to see him regarding his envelopes with a look of apprehension. I looked at the address on the envelopes; one was from Hogwarts, probably our usual school list. The second was indeed our OWL results. Taking a deep breath, I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. 

"Hermione? Are you okay?" Harry asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.  I glanced back down at the envelope. 

"I don't think I can open mine," I said, turning it over in my hands. 

"Why not?" Harry asked, a bewildered tone in his voice. I shrugged.

"I'm so nervous...I think...I think I'll just save it for later," I replied, reaching down to put it into my pocket. Before I could stuff it in, a familiar hand snatched the envelope away.

"Bugger that. I know you're dying to get the results. I'll open it for you," Harry said. I swallowed hard and nodded my head in agreement. He ripped the envelope open, scanning the contents quickly. He was silent for a moment or two, and I swear my heart stopped beating.

"Harry! What is it? What's wrong? Did I fail them all? Oh, if I failed them all I'll just die..." I trailed off, feeling a ramble coming on. Then a huge grin broke out over my best friend's face.

"Hermione! You got **Outstanding** in every subject you were tested in! You got 12 O.W.L's! " Harry exclaimed. My mouth dropped open when I heard this.

"I did what?" I asked, obviously in shock. Harry grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look up at him.

"You did it! You got all O's 'Mione," He repeated. 

After another minute or two it finally sank in and I shrieked, hugging Harry tightly.

"I did it! I did it! I can't believe I did so well, I thought for sure I would get **Acceptable** in Astronomy because it got interrupted," I said, looking back down at my paper. Suddenly realizing Harry hadn't opened his yet, I looked back up at him.

"Well? Are you going to open yours?" I asked. He glanced back up at me, a nervous look on his face. I grinned and grabbed his envelope from him.

"It's time to return the favor," I announced, ripping the envelope open. I smiled as I read his results. Harry looked at me anxiously.

"Well?"

"You got 9 O.W. L's. 4 **Outstanding**, 3 **Exceeding Expectations**, and 2 **Acceptables**. And, one of your **Outstandings **was in Potions! I'm very proud of you, Harry! " I exclaimed, hugging him. He grinned back at me. 

"I don't quite have your score, but I'm not complaining!" Harry said. I beamed at him, actually surprised at his score. He took only 9 classes, so that means he passed every one of them, even History of Magic. 

"You both did excellent on your tests. This only reaffirms my opinion that Hogwarts has some of the brightest students in the wizarding world. Congratulations!" The Headmaster said, beaming at us from behind his thin glasses. 

"Thanks Professor!" We chimed together. 

"Might I suggest that you two go off and find an appropriate way to celebrate? Ice cream, perhaps?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling.  Harry grinned and nodded his head.

"Brilliant idea, Professor. Hermione, do you want to go down to the kitchens? We can see Dobby and Winky while we're there," Harry said, grabbing my hand. 

"Sure, let's go. Oh, Professor? If we're going to Grimmauld Place tomorrow, how are we going to get our things from my house? " I asked curiously. 

"I will have your parents pack your things, Hermione. You may wish to create a list for your mother, so she will know specific things to pack for you. Harry, when I send Remus to pick up yours and Hermione's things, he will pack your bags for you. If that is all right with you two?" Dumbledore asked.  

"Sounds great to me. Thanks again Headmaster!" I exclaimed as Harry dragged me out of the office. Laughing, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Grinning mischieviously, I covered my mouth.

"What's wrong? " Harry exclaimed, stopping to give me a worried look. 

"I just realized, now that our O.W.L.'s are over....." 

"Yes?" Harry asked, concern clear on his handsome face.

"We only have two years until NEWTS! I've got to start studying soon!" I exclaimed. Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed me by the wrist again.

"My best friend is loony...that's all there is to it, " Harry muttered under his breath. I punched him in the arm lightly, laughing at his mutterings.  We made it to the kitchens, where Dobby the Houself practically jumped on us when we entered.

"Mr. Harry Potter Sir. Dobby is glad to see you sir. What is it Dobby can be getting for you sir?" The hyper houself asked, looking anxiously at Harry. Harry stifled a smile and replied, "Just two vanilla ice cream cones, please Dobby. How has your summer been?"

Dobby's eyes got even wider at Harry's question. " It has been good, Mr. Harry Potter Sir. Dobby is liking it here, with Professor Dumbledore, sir. He is coming to visit house elves often, he is. Here is your ice creams, Mr. Harry Potter sir. Will Dobby be seeing you often also, when you is getting back for school?" 

Harry and I smiled at each other and took the ice cream cones.

"Yes, we will be down to see you often, Dobby. I promise. Hermione and I are going to take a walk outside now though. We'll see you later, Dobby," Harry said. Dobby waved at us until we reached the door. Once we were back out in the hall, I looked at Harry.

"Who said we were going to walk outside?" I asked, licking my ice cream cone. Harry did likewise, before replying, "I said we were walking outside. What are you going to do about it?" 

I just smiled secretively and said, "Oh, I don't know. You might just wake up tomorrow with blue hair..."

Harry's eyes got wide at this, and I laughed at his expression. Suddenly he began to laugh too. I looked at him in confusion.

"What? What's so funny?" I asked. He just grinned and pointed to my face. I felt myself blush.

"You have vanilla ice cream just...there..." Harry said, leaning over me to wipe it off of my cheek, very close to my mouth. Suddenly we both stopped laughing, and I became very aware that Harry hadn't taken his hand away yet. Slowly he moved his thumb over a bit to my lips. He gently rubbed my bottom lip with his thumb, staring at my mouth as I gazed up at him, unable to move or say anything.

"Hermione..." Harry whispered softly, sending my heartbeat racing. I took in a sharp breath when he spoke. I opened my mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a very familiar voice.

"Well, if it isn't Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."

Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath as Harry moved his hand away. Slowly we both turned to face the unexpected guest.

"What are you doing here?" Harry sneered, his disgust obvious in his voice.  Silently I took our ice creams and threw them away in a nearby chute that leads to the trash bins.

"Oh, let's just say my father has some...business at Hogwarts today, and I thought I'd tag along. Now I'm glad I did...can't lose a chance to taunt the mudblood, now can I?" Draco Malfoy replied, an annoyed look on his face. Harry tensed at the ugly word, but I put a restraining hand on Harry's arm. 

"Harry, don't. Please," I whispered. I really didn't feel like having my good mood interrupted even further by the Slytherin snake. Harry turned and looked down at me.

"Fine. We should get going anyway. I'm starting to get a whiff of a smelly ferret. Frankly, it's making me sick," Harry said, staring at Malfoy the whole time. Surprisingly, Malfoy didn't reply, he just sneered at us as we turned and walked back down the hallway. 

Despite the encounter with Malfoy, my spirits were still pretty high. I mean, I scored brilliantly on my O.W.L. tests, **and** Harry almost kissed me! 

Suddenly, this year is looking very bright indeed.


End file.
